Residents of Tunjungsekar and Sukun—two populous villages in Malang city—could set an example for other communities to provide sanitation issues especially for those who have financial constraints, to build toilets with septic tanks.
Based on the fourth cycle of participatory M&E data started in June 2020, 40 out of 265 households in Tunjungsekar do not yet have toilets with septic tanks. Similarly, 312 out of 623 households in Sukun do not have access to such facilities. The families that do not have the septic tanks usually discharge their untreated wastewater to the environment.
Responding to this unfavorable situation, in the last quarter of 2020, the participatory M&E teams from Sukun and Tunjungsekar submitted proposals to YDKK (Yayasan Dana Kemanusiaan Kompas) to build sanitation facilities in their villages. The M&E team in Sukun proposed the building of a communal wastewater treatment plant (IPAL Komunal) with 15 house connections as well as three shared septic tanks and 15 house connections.
The M&E team in Tunjungsekar requested the construction of 30 individual septic tanks for 30 households. The proposal submission was a follow up on the communication between USAID IUWASH PLUS and YDKK to support sanitation access improvement in the project’s supported areas, including Malang city. Then, USAID IUWASH PLUS and YDKK also had further discussions on the proposals submitted by the participatory M&E teams.
The proposal from Sukun and Tunjungsekar turned out to be successful. YDKK and Badan Keswadayaan Masyarakat (BKM) Sukun Jaya and Tunjungsekar ratified their partnership by signing a cooperation agreement on April 8, 2021. Through the partnership, YDKK provided a total of Rp 240 million to build sanitation facilities for 60 households. The fund is divided for the two villages: Rp 150 million for Sukun and Rp 90 million for Tunjungsekar, with the funding managed by each Village BKM.
BKM Sukun Jaya and BKM Tunjungsekar then developed a strategy to revolve the funds, so that they can build more sanitation facilities. In this case, the beneficiaries in Tunjungsekar village will pay 50% of the cost of the septic tank, and the recipients in Sukun village will pay 30% of the cost of the facility they receive. This fund can be paid in installments up to one year. However, this rule is waived for very poor families.
Until mid-June 2021, 17 households in Tunjungsekar have had individual septic tanks and 15 households in Sukun have connected to an IPAL Komunal. Total 32 families or 160 people have benefitted from the partnership with YDKK in Tunjungsekar and Sukun. The participatory M&E teams and BKMs are committed to continuing the construction process using the revolving fund mechanism.
“I am happy that my house is now connected to IPAL Komunal. I hope the facility can make my neighborhood healthier and cleaner,” said Mr. Muhammad Luthfi, a beneficiary in Sukun village.
Similarly, Yenny Purwati, a member of the participatory M&E team from Tunjungsekar village, emphasized that support from YDKK is also helpful for the village. “The aid from YDKK will help us to attain Healthy Village, Safely Managed Sanitation [a tagline of Tunjungsekar village],” said the woman who received STBM award from the Ministry of Health in 2020.
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